Prayer and subjective well-being: An examination of six different types of prayer

Bramdon L. Whittington, Steven J. Scher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Participants (N = 430) were recruited online and completed a measure of six prayer types (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, reception, and obligatory prayer). Measures of subjective well-being (self-esteem, optimism, meaning in life, satisfaction with life) were also administered. Three forms of prayer (adoration, thanksgiving, reception) had consistently positive relations with well-being measures, whereas the other three forms of prayer had negative or null relations with the well-being measures. The prayer types having positive effects appear to be less ego-focused, and more focused on God, whereas the negative types have an opposite nature. These results highlight the role of psychological meaning as a part of the process whereby prayer impacts psychological well-being.
Original languageAmerican English
JournalInternational Journal for the Psychology of Religion
Volume20
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

  • PRAYER
  • WELL-being
  • Psychological aspects
  • CONFESSION
  • GRATITUDE
  • SELF-esteem

Disciplines

  • Philosophy
  • Religion

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